News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled
by NTRA Communications, (212) 907-9280.

MCCARRON ONE WIN AWAY FROM 7,000, COULD REACH MARK LATER TODAY

Jockey Chris McCarron will attempt to become just the seventh jockey in
history to ride 7,000 winners this afternoon at Hollywood Park in Inglewood,
Calif. when he climbs aboard Duke of Green in today's fifth race. Currently
with 6,999 wins to his credit, McCarron will be riding in just the one race
today. On tomorrow's Hollywood Park racing card, McCarron is scheduled to
ride in TK races.

Triple Crown-winning jockey Steve Cauthen, as well as current riders Corey
Nakatani and Robby Albarado, are among those slated to tee off in the NTRA
Charities Kentucky Derby Pro-Am at Lake Forest Country Club in Louisville on
Monday, April 30. Country music recording star John Michael Montgomery and a
host of others are also scheduled to take part in the event, which will be
covered on FOX-TV's "Inside Kentucky Golf."

The tournament benefits NTRA Charities, which strives to broaden the
Thoroughbred industry's scope of community outreach through its national
charity affiliate, Ronald McDonald House Charities, as well as increase
awareness for the protection and welfare of equine athletes through its
Racehorse Adoption Referral Program. For additional information, contact
Jodilyn Mendelsohn at 800-792-NTRA.

MATCH SERIES TO KICK OFF THIS WEEKEND

Three $75,000 stakes races are slated to launch the fifth season of
Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series competition, as the
broadly-popular, balanced schedule of thirty Delaware/Maryland/New
Jersey/Virginia stakes -- and their accompanying $3,125,000 in purses -
begins this weekend.

Saturday's opening doubleheader includes the Searching Stakes for fillies
and mares, three-years-old and up, at a mile over the Pimlico turf course,
and the six-furlong Damitrius Stakes at Delaware Park for males
three-years-old and up. On Sunday, Pimlico will spotlight top area turf
males in the Henry D. Clark Stakes.

Delaware Township, a troubled second in the recently run Bold Ruler Handicap
at Aqueduct and winner of last year's prestigious Vosburgh at Belmont Park,
heads a field of eight crack sprinters in the Damitrius Stakes.

"We are very excited about this year's series," said Alan Foreman, who
conceived the competition. "The racing directors at the tracks involved have
worked to develop an exciting schedule of stakes for horses and their
connections from now through September. Last year's competition was
outstanding, and we look for more of the same this season."

$50,000 ON THE LINE IN NEBRASKA SUPERFECTA

As part of this Saturday's running of the $100,000 Bosselman/Gus Fonner
Handicap, Fonner Park in Grand Island, Neb. will offer a special superfecta
wager on the race with a guaranteed minimum pool of $50,000. Bettors able to
select the first four finishers of the race in exact order will share in the
net pool of at least $38,500.

ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury: The Top 50 and Beyond" will celebrate the
127th Kentucky Derby with a week of programs featuring some of racing's
greatest horses.

On Tuesday, May 1, the series will feature Secretariat. Affirmed
and Alydar's epic battles will be shown on Wednesday, May 2nd, and 1978
Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew will be spotlighted on Thursday, May 3rd.
Wrapping up the special week of programming will be Citation on Friday, May
4th. All shows air at 8 p.m. (ET)

SAM HOUSTON TO OFFER MILLION-DOLLAR PRIZE

On Saturday, May 5, Sam Houston Race Park will offer its
fans a unique opportunity to earn $1,000,000 by correctly predicting the
entire order of finish in that day's Kentucky Derby.

"The simulcast of the Kentucky Derby is always a popular day
at Sam Houston Race Park," said Kerry Graves, director of marketing at the
northwest Houston racetrack. "We wanted to create an added incentive to
bring fans out to Sam Houston Race Park, and couldn't think of anything more
compelling than the chance to win $1,000,000."

The contest is free to enter and open to all fans 21 years of age and older.

RACING ON THE AIR (all times Eastern)

April 28 Racehorse Digest, 5:30-6:00 a.m., ESPN

April 29 Triple Crown Special, 2:00-3:00 p.m., ESPN2

May 1 Run for the Roses, 1:00-2:00 p.m., ESPN2

May 1 SportsCentury: The Top 50 and Beyond, "Secretariat," 8:00-8:30 p.m.,
ESPN Classic

April 27, 1973: At Churchill Downs, Secretariat worked six furlongs in 1:12
3/5 in preparation for the May 5 Kentucky Derby.

April 27, 1999: Trainer D. Wayne Lukas was elected to the National
Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame.

April 29, 1976: The State of Connecticut opened its own betting parlors in
11 communities.

April 30, 1941: Jockey Eddie Arcaro rode four winners out of five mounts at
Jamaica racetrack before leaving for Churchill Downs to ride Whirlaway in
the Kentucky Derby.

April 30, 1989: Bill Shoemaker won his 1,000th stakes race, guiding Charlie
Whittingham-trained Peace to victory in the Premiere Handicap at Hollywood
Park.

May 1, 1943: Count Fleet won the "street car" Kentucky Derby, for which no
tickets could be sold to out-of-town spectators due to wartime travel
restrictions.

May 1, 1948: H.A. "Jimmy" Jones, son of Ben A. Jones, stepped aside as the
trainer of Citation, allowing his father to be named the colt's official
trainer in the Kentucky Derby. Ben Jones was attempting to match the record
of H.J. Thompson, who had trained four Derby winners. Citation did win and
Ben A. Jones subsequently won two additional derbies, in 1949 and 1952, to
set the mark for most number of wins in the Run for the Roses, six. Jimmy
Jones was named as Citation's trainer in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes,
however, giving the Jones family a Triple Crown sweep.

May 1, 1971: The New York Off-Track Betting Corp. offered wagering pools on
the Kentucky Derby, the first instance in which parimutuel wagering on the
race took place outside the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Churchill Downs had
refused to sell the rights to the race to OTB, but the pools were offered
nonetheless, generating handle totaling $1,043,005

May 1, 1976: Trainer Laz Barrera won three stakes in three different states:
the Kentucky Derby with Bold Forbes; New York's Carter Handicap with Due
Diligence and the Illinois Derby with Life's Hope.

May 1, 1993: Paul Mellon became the second person in racing history of have
bred and owned winners of the Kentucky Derby (Sea Hero, who won the 1993
Derby) and the Epsom Derby (Mill Reef, who won in 1971). John Galbreath was
the first to have accomplished the Derby double, which he did with Proud
Clarion (1967 Kentucky Derby) and Roberto (1972 Epsom Derby).

May 1, 1999: Charismatic won the 125th Kentucky Derby at odds of 31-1,
giving trainer D. Wayne Lukas his fourth Derby win and his owners, Bob and
Beverly Lewis, their second Derby victor.

May 2, 1904: Laska Durnell became the first woman to own a Kentucky Derby
starter and winner when longshot Elwood took the 30th Run for the Roses.
Elwood, the only Missouri-bred to win the Kentucky Derby, was also the first
Derby winner to be bred by a woman, Mrs. J.B. Prather.

May 2, 1953: Native Dancer suffered his only defeat in 22 starts. He
finished second in the Kentucky Derby as the 7-10 favorite, beaten a head by
a 25-1 shot, Dark Star. Going into the Derby, Native Dancer had 11
consecutive wins.

May 2, 1970: Diane Crump became the first female jockey to ride in the
Kentucky Derby. Her mount, Fathom, finished 15th in a field of 17.

May 2, 1973: In his last workout prior to the Kentucky Derby, Secretariat
went five furlongs in :58 3/5.

May 2, 1981: The first simulcast of the Kentucky Derby took place, with
three outlets-Centennial Park, Longacres Racecourse and Yakima
Meadows-receiving the signal. Total simulcast wagering was $455,163. The
Derby simulcast was suspended for the next two years, pending approval by
Kentucky horsemen, and was reinstated in 1984.

May 2, 2000: Jockey Julie Krone became the first female elected to
Thoroughbred racing's Hall of Fame.

May 3, 1769: Namesake of racing's annual awards, Eclipse made his first
public appearance in a heat race at Epsom, England. The chestnut won his
first trial easily, prompting gambler Dennis O'Kelly to predict "Eclipse
first, the rest nowhere" at the start of the second heat. O'Kelly's forecast
was correct. Eclipse won the second four-mile race by nearly a quarter of a mile.

May 3, 1902: Jockey James Winkfield, the last African American rider to win
the Kentucky Derby, won his second consecutive Derby aboard Alan-a-Dale.

May 3, 1952: The first coast-to-coast, network-televised Kentucky Derby
aired on CBS. Favorite Hill Gail won the Derby, giving his jockey Eddie
Arcaro a record fifth victory in the Kentucky Derby, and his trainer, Ben A.
Jones, the record for most number of wins (six). Arcaro's record was matched
on this day in 1969 by jockey Bill Hartack. Jones' record has not been
equaled.

May 3, 1958: CBS used a "split screen" for its telecast of the Kentucky
Derby, necessitated by the presence of the popular runner Silky Sullivan,
who was famous for running far off the pace. Most of the screen was allotted
to the main group of runners, with a small corner given over to Silky
Sullivan. Although he was one of the favorites for the race, Silky failed to
deliver his customary winning drive in the stretch and finished 12th, beaten
20 lengths by the victorious Tim Tam.

May 3, 1969: Jockey Bill Hartack won his fifth Kentucky Derby aboard
Majestic Prince, tying Eddie Arcaro's 1952 record. Majestic Prince was
trained by Hall of Fame jockey John Longden, the only person to have trained
and ridden a Kentucky Derby winner.

May 3, 1980: Diana Firestone's Genuine Risk became the second filly to win
the Kentucky Derby. Regret won it in 1915; Winning Colors, in 1988.

May 3, 1986: Charlie Whittingham, at age 73, became the oldest trainer to
win his first Kentucky Derby when he sent Ferdinand to victory. Ferdinand's
rider, Bill Shoemaker, was the oldest jockey (54) to take the Run for the
Roses. Whittingham topped himself in 1989, winning the Derby a second time
(at age 76) with Sunday Silence.

May 4, 1905: Belmont Park opened for its first race meet.

May 4, 1957: Bill Shoemaker, aboard Gallant Man, misjudged the finish line
for the Kentucky Derby and stood up in the irons prematurely. Gallant Man
lost the race by a nose to Iron Liege. Round Table was third and Bold Ruler
was fourth in this historic finish.

May 4, 1968: Dancer's Image became the first horse to be disqualified from
the Kentucky Derby because post-race testing revealed an illegal medication.
Forward Pass was declared the winner, giving Calumet Farm its eighth Derby
winner, a record.

May 4, 1996: Trainer D. Wayne Lukas set the record for most consecutive wins
in Triple Crown races, six, when Grindstone won the Kentucky Derby. Lukas'
winning streak began with the 1994 Preakness Stakes, which he won with
Tabasco Cat.

May 5, 1934: Brookmeade Stable's Cavalcade won the Kentucky Derby, his third
victory in a span of less than two weeks.

May 5, 1973: Secretariat became the first horse to complete the 1¼-mile
course for the Kentucky Derby in less than two minutes when he won the 99th
Run for the Roses in a record 1:59 2/5, which was 3/5 faster than Northern
Dancer's 1964 mark of 2:00, to set a track and stakes record that still
holds. He ran each successive quarter-mile of the race faster than the
previous one, with split times of :25 1/5, :24, :23 4/5, :23 2/5 and :23.

May 5, 1990: Frances Genter, age 92, became the oldest winning owner in
Derby history when Unbridled won the 116th renewal of the Run for the Roses.

May 6, 1895: African American jockey James "Soup" Perkins guided the
favorite Halma to a wire-to-wire victory in the 21st running of the Kentucky
Derby. Perkins, who was 15, joined fellow African American jockey Alonzo
Clayton as the youngest jockey to ride a Derby winner.

May 6, 1896: African American jockey Willie Simms guided Ben Brush to
victory in the 22nd Kentucky Derby, the first time the race was run at 1¼ miles. Two years later, Simms would win the Derby aboard Plaudit, giving him
a perfect record in the Kentucky Derby: two wins in two attempts.

May 6, 1933: In the "fighting finish" to the Kentucky Derby -- before the
advent of photo-finish cameras and video patrol -- jockey Don Meade on Brokers
Tip, and Herb Fisher, on Head Play, pushed, hit, tugged and jostled each
other to the finish line at Churchill Downs. Brokers Tip was declared the
winner, by a margin of two or three inches.

May 6, 2000: Fusaichi Pegasus, a $4 million yearling purchase, became the
first favorite to win the Kentucky Derby in 21 years with his convincing win
over Aptitude. Spectacular Bid in 1979 was the previous favorite to win the
"Run for the Roses."

May 7, 1938: The Kentucky Derby Glass made its debut. First used as a water
glass for the track restaurant, the mint julep glass has been a part of the
Derby tradition for more than 50 years.

May 7, 1949: Calumet Farm's Ponder won the 75th Kentucky Derby, which was
first telecast on a limited basis by local TV station WAVE.

May 7, 1973: Secretariat was flown to Pimlico Racecourse to prepare for the
Preakness Stakes after his record-breaking performance in the Kentucky
Derby.

May 7, 1983: Aboard Sunny's Halo, jockey Eddie Delahoussaye became the last
rider to win consecutive Kentucky Derbies. Other riders to have won
back-to-back Derbies are: Isaac Murphy, Ron Turcotte and James Winkfield.

May 7, 1988: Winning Colors, the first roan and the third filly to win the
Kentucky Derby, provided trainer D. Wayne Lukas with his first Derby win in
13 attempts.

May 7, 1992: Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. announced his retirement
from race riding.

May 8, 1901: David Garrick, owned by American Pierre Lorillard, won the
Chester Cup in England, under the guidance of American jockey Danny Maher.

May 8, 1915: H.P. Whitney's Regret became the first filly to win the
Kentucky Derby, 40 years after the race's inception in 1875.

May 8, 1937: Mary Hirsch, daughter of Max Hirsch, who had conditioned 1936
Kentucky Derby winner Bold Venture, became the first woman trainer to saddle
a runner in the Kentucky Derby. The horse, No Sir, who was also owned by
Hirsch, finished 13th in a field of 20.

May 9, 1945: The wartime government ban on horse racing in the United States
was lifted.

May 9, 1982: Jockey Chris McCarron won his 3,000th career race, aboard
Aggrandizement, in the ninth race at Hollywood Park.